Doves are often seen as symbols of peace and hope in California, they are a familiar sight. There are different types of doves in California, such as the mourning dove, white-winged dove, and band-tailed pigeon.
These birds can be found in various habitats, including cities, forests, and deserts.
Doves are an important part of the California ecosystem. They help to control insect populations, and their droppings help to fertilize the soil.
Doves are also a popular food source for hawks, owls, and other predators.
Doves in California
- Mourning Dove
- Inca Dove
- Zenaida Dove
- rock Pigeon
- Eurasian Collared-Dove
- Band-tailed Pigeon
- White-winged Dove
- Common Ground-Dove
Let’s explore their habitat, size, diet, places, behaviour, etc.
1. Mourning Dove
The Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura) is a common and widespread bird species found throughout California. It is a medium-sized dove known for its gentle and mournful cooing sound, hence its name.
Habitat: They can be found in cities, suburbs, fields, and woodlands.
Appearance: They are medium-sized with plump bodies, long tails, and grey-brown feathers.
Feeding: They eat seeds, grains, and fruits, often on the ground.
Breeding: They nest in trees or shrubs, and both parents take care of the eggs.
Behaviour: They perch on wires and trees, and their flight is fast with gliding.
Conservation: They are plentiful in California and not protected.
2. Inca Dove
The Inca Dove is a small bird found in California. Inca Dove is also the most common species of doves in Arizona.
Habitat: They live in cities, suburbs, fields, and desert edges.
Appearance: They are small with a sandy-brown color and a scaly pattern on their wings.
Feeding: They eat seeds and grains, often on the ground.
Breeding: They build nests in shrubs or trees, and both parents take care of the eggs.
Behaviour: They perch on wires or shrubs and fly quickly.
Conservation: They are common in California and not protected.
3. Zenaida Dove
Zenaida doves are common in California. They are medium-sized doves with plump bodies, long tails, and small heads.
They are greyish-brown with black spots on their wings and a white-tipped tail. They are often seen in pairs or small groups, and they eat seeds, fruit, and insects.
Behaviour: Zenaida Doves are often seen in pairs or small groups. They eat seeds, fruits, and insects.
Nesting: They build their nests in old woodpecker holes or nest boxes. They lay two white eggs, and the young birds leave the nest after about 14 days.
Hunting and Protection: Zenaida Doves are a popular gamebird, but they are also protected. It is illegal to kill them without a permit.
4. White-winged Dove
White-winged Dove is a medium-sized dove in California with a short and small head. They have pale brown bodies with a white stripe along their wings.
White-winged Doves are brown overall. They have a white long stripe on their wings, it looks more clear when they are flying.
White-winged Doves are common Doves in Alaska, Alabama, California and Arizona.
They have blue skin around their eyes. One interesting thing about these birds is they have red eyes.
White-winged Doves forage on grain and seeds on the ground. The behaviour of this bird is gathering in huge flocks. Their calls sound like “whoo-OOO-oo, 000-00“.
They always prefer river woods, groves, farmland, suburbs, and trees in grassland.
White-winged Doves feed on seeds, agave, ocotillo, fruit, etc.
5. Common Ground-Dove
The Common Ground-Dove is a small type of bird found in California, as well as in other parts of the country.
Common Ground-Dove is brownish grey overall with subdued dusty colour feathers.
Their colours are very similar to the ground that why sometimes you can’t spot them when they feed on the ground.
Common Ground Doves are common Doves in Alabama, Florida, California and Arizona.
Just offers them sunflower seeds, other seeds, and corn, and provide them dense trees for nesting, they spend more time in your backyard. They nest on the ground.
6. Eurasian Collared Dove
The Eurasian Collared-Dove is not a native bird of North America. It was introduced into the Bahamas in the 1970s after the 1980s it spread throughout North America.
Eurasian Collared-Dove’s main habitats include bare ground, telephone wires, and trees like Mourning Dove. They make nests on trees with small straws.
This common breeding bird is very difficult to identify. If you saw this bird from behind, you can’t identify this bird.
They have a black half-collar on the neck that’s why they are very difficult to identify.
You can easily attract these birds with offers of sunflower seeds, other seeds, and corn, and provide them with dense trees for nesting, they spend more time in your backyard.
7. Rock Pigeon
Rock Pigeons are highly common doves in California as well as other parts of America. This dove is large in size that’s why everyone called them a “Pigeon“.
Rock Pigeons are also the most common species of doves in Michigan.
They are gathering in huge flocks like a mourning dove. Rock Pigeons were introduced by European Settlers in the Early 17th Century.
You can find this pigeon anywhere in the world. This bird species is one of the most common dove species in the world.
The Rock Pigeons love to eat corn, seeds, wheat, and scraps of food that are discarded by humans. This pigeon is not native to Florida.
Rock Pigeons have a good relationship with humans. You can easily attract these birds with offers of sunflower seeds, other seeds, and corn, and provide them with dense trees for nesting, they spend more time in your backyard.
8. Band-tailed Pigeon
Band-tailed Pigeon is a beautiful dove species found in California, Arizona as well as other parts of the country. These doves spend most of their time in large groups with hundreds of birds.
These are the common types of doves in Colorado. In California, this species of bird is found in mixed forests.
But they also have found in wooded suburban areas. Just like other doves, these doves also eat various seeds and fruit.
If you want to listen to their sound, you can rarely listen to their sound because most of the time these dove species spend their time at the top of the large trees.
Males Band-tailed Pigeon produce soft, deep, slow coos like an owl hooting.
Conclusion
Doves are a beautiful and fascinating part of the California landscape. They are a symbol of peace and hope, and they play an important role in the ecosystem. If you’re ever lucky enough to see a dove in California, take a moment to appreciate its beauty and grace.
